Shepherd – First Hand

 

 

Shepherd – First Hand
Destruent Records – 2020
Metal, Alternative, Sludge, Stoner, Doom
Rated: ****

It came out digitally around the end of November last year and got lost in the huge amount of releases sent our way every day. Being the end of November and of course December does this even more to us because of our focus on the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown at the end of every year. But we do revisit that huge pile whenever we have a chance and this time around we found something damn freaking good. It’s Shepherd and their debut release First Hand! Mentioning bands like Deftones, Mastodon, Alice in Chains, and Torche in the press release will definitely get ones attention once you start looking back through all those releases and they aren’t wrong in mentioning them although some of those bands are perhaps only heard in a detail or two. The trio from Denver, Colorado has the ability to really craft out headbanging atmoshpheres and atmospheres, their sludge metal incorporates just enough doom and stoner influences to set it apart from other bands. Making it all come together in mythos and with mythical inspiration. With a flawless separation between clean and distorted tones, gritty and delicate guitar colors the composition excel in those mid-tempo trudges, using the drums to stomp on the terra like a gigantic beast. Shepherd knows how to guide us through the wasteland. Cause they’ve experienced it First Hand… Damn good!

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Destruent Records

Bandcamp Destruent Records